It's raining cats and dogs outside yet I am surrounded by beautiful Summer collections of make-up,
in Scotland Summer is very much a weekend event.
Anyway one of the aforementioned collectives for the Summer season is the Clarins Enchanted collection,
which is inspired by the Indian Festival of Colour.


The collection has 10 pieces in total ranging from subtle lip shades to beautiful bright and bronze eyeshadow
shades and with a new bronzing duo, there truly is something for everyone and today I shall be sharing 
one of the limited edition pieces which is a Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Balm.


As expected the Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Balm come wonderfully packaged in sleek shiny chrome tubes with a small disk of colour at the base which indicates the shade of the lipstick housed inside.
The packaging is slightly on the heavy side but not overly bulky but don't be fooled by the chrome finish
you can not use it as a mirror...trust me I've tried haha!


The Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Balm's are limited edition and only available while stocks last,
there is four shade options to choose from Crystal, Crystal Violet, Crystal Red and Crystal Coral.
Each lipstick/balm consists of a transparent jelly bullet with an intensely pigmented core of colour
both of which combine to form a tinted balm that is lightly moisturising and well pigmented.


Crystal Violet is of course a member of the purple family but it does have a slight pink tinge,
I would say that overall the tone of this shade is slightly cool but it should be okay for most skin tones.
Crystal Violet reminds me of a slightly lighter version of Mac's Up the Amp and is a great option for 
those like myself who are a little wary of purple based lip colours.


I have to be truthful and state that I did anticipate the Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Balm to be a tad more 
hydrating don't get me wrong they are not by any means drying but not as moisturising as I had hoped for. 
The texture is certainly more akin with a waxy balm and the colour pay off is similar to mediocre lipstick,
although they do feel a little waxy on the lips they are completely comfortable and lightweight.
Another surprise surrounding the formula of the Instant Smooth Crystal Balm's is that they settle to
a semi matte finish rather than being glossy but they do slick on smoothly and do not highlight flaws.
In terms of wear they preform more like a lipstick than a balm and wore for around four hours.

Product Summary 
Round Up - A combination of a lip balm and lipstick that is surprisingly matte in finish.
Best For - A light comfortable semi matte lip colour.
Pigmentation - (7/10) Well pigmented for a tinted lip balm
Availability - Sold out online but do check your local Clarins counter or retailer £16.50/3.5g